


the path that leads

by maidenstage



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Intimacy, Multi, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Has A Name, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Resolved Sexual Tension, Strangers to Acquaintances, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, acquaintances to friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:22:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28708878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maidenstage/pseuds/maidenstage
Summary: At some point, you've felt that you were drifting, simply going through the motions each day with no goal in sight. But you were content. If you felt that something was missing, that was fine too (it wasn't). You were comfortable, safe, and content.But is that what you wanted out of life?You asked yourself that question and found yourself bereft of a satisfactory answer. So you did what no one expected you to do: you moved into an apartment complex in the heart of Ebott, famously known as the epicenter for when the monsters emerged from Mt. Ebott when the barrier shattered many years ago.Maybe in the city, where magic and monsters thrived, you could find what you're missing in life.Even if the job you worked sucked, and you had to take the bus more often than you liked, it was a start.At least your new neighbors kept things interesting.(Alternatively: you're the new girl that just moved into the monster apartment complex. Through random encounters, you meet the neighbors that live in the same building as you-- it just happens to always happen at the bus stop.Why is italwaysat the bus stop?)
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale) & Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale) & Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Kudos: 2





	the path that leads

**Author's Note:**

> Behold! Yet another story, this time it's less plotline based, yet nevertheless it is just as self-indulgent as I please.
> 
> I was inspired randomly by the thought of the boys doing cute, cliche, and trope-y-as-fuck acts/gestures to make (the Reader)Rayne swoon-- and yes! This time the MC has an established name! 
> 
> This is a pet project and won't be given my full attention while I work on my other Undertale fic, but that may change depending on my mood. 
> 
> (I can have a little indulgent fic...as a treat uwu)

It was cold at 4:30 in the morning, but then again, it was cold every morning since the new year began. It was especially cold on _this_ morning since you decided to roll out of bed at this god-forsaken hour to wait at the bus stop. Even the bench you sat on was cold enough to penetrate through your bundled form; the layers you had painstakingly chosen for maximum warmth did little to chase away the freeze hanging in the air, which left you shivering and miserable. You suppose you were thankful that your meager shelter had a cover to keep the snow off you, but it was a small comfort. It was hard to be grateful when you were feeling miserable.

You were thirty minutes early in waiting for the next bus to arrive. You _could_ have left your apartment later perhaps, but you knew the public transportation in Ebott was fickle at best and unreliable at worst. You also had a habit of underestimating how time trickled by, leaving you in a state of panic that left you to scramble out the door in a winded rush that did you little good in the end. Your bank account balance also dictated that a ride share service was a no-go, so cheap but slow public transportation was the way to go. And while you bemoaned the plush warmth of your bed, you knew it was necessary to get up before the sun gleamed along the horizon if you were to make it to work on time.

So here you were, sitting on a metal bench while you fought to keep yourself warm and awake.

Thankfully, it was quiet at the bus stop, and you were blessedly alone. You weren’t sure you quite ready to deal with any polite conversation so early in the morning with no caffeine in your system. You were so tired. You regretted not taking the time to snag a quick cup of coffee before you left, your eyes growing heavy as you let out a loud yawn. God, you wished you hadn’t agreed to cover the shift that your coworker begged you to take. Even if you weren’t strapped for cash, you should have said no. But you didn’t and your good sense told you that it was too late to back out now. You hoped that by the time you got to work, you would be more awake. Or at the very least functional.

 _I can do this._ You told yourself with enough conviction that you would have almost believed it if the effect wasn’t ruined by a cruel gust of frigid wind passing through you. _I just need to get through this…_

Condensation puffed in a frosty white plume as you attempted to blow warm air against your bare hands. Yet another thing you berated yourself for forgetting, and now you were paying dearly for your mistake. You flexed your fingers, attempting to draw hot blood through to the tips in a feeble attempt to chase the icy feeling clinging to your flesh. The attempt was poor, but what mattered here was that you _tried_ , and hey, that was better than nothing right? Right.

Even your attempt of optimism was feeble; try as you might, it seemed that today was determined to wear you down in a mixture of cold and drowsy misery. The weight of it all left you feeling defeated, and you slumped further against the wall of the bus stop’s shelter. You were tempted to close your eyes for a brief moment; with the surrounding silence, you could have easily slipped into blissful unconsciousness. You were a light sleeper, and you would be able to hear the bus approach in time.

So deep in your thoughts that you didn’t notice the figure that shuffled towards the bus stop. They spotted your form on the bench and paused before they ambled over to take a seat next to you. It wasn’t until that you heard the hiss of a thermos cap being opened that you gave a slight start before you tilted your head to the side just a little bit.

At first, you couldn’t make out the person’s features very well because their hoodie was drawn over their head. You didn’t say anything to acknowledge them, and they said nothing in return. It seemed to be understood that early mornings were not appropriate for polite greetings or conversations. Or maybe they were like you and couldn't function without caffeine. Who knows?

For a while, the silence between you and your companion dragged on. You turned your head back towards the road when you caught a glimpse of their form from the corner of your eye, making you pause. As you looked closer, you had to blink a few times to make sure that your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you.

There were several things you took note of about your companion: the first was rather obvious, given that they were a monster. You weren’t particularly bothered by this fact. You had grown used to interacting with a variety of monsters for several reasons: for one, your coworkers also happened to be monsters. You had grown accustomed and friendly with a few and held a shared distaste for the customer service industry. And while you couldn’t say dealing with the bigotry that some threw towards your monster coworkers from time to time was pleasant, you were thankful that the management was quick to act to de-escalate the situation. You were proud to work with a business that was accepting and supportive towards your fellow monster coworkers whenever there were any grievances brought against them.

Another reason was that your apartment complex was one of the first buildings that were sanctioned by the government and provided interspecies housing. Supposedly it was a way of fostering peaceful coexistence. You supposed it was a step in the right direction, but you knew that monsters deserved so much more from humanity—and it would only be a matter of time for the rest to catch up.

You just happened to know this particular monster. Sort of. They were a skeleton monster, who also happened to be your next-door neighbor who lived in the same building as you. Once or twice, you would see him in passing, usually when you’re either coming home from a long shift or as you’re about to leave your house. It was these odd fluctuating hours that made you curious; you never bothered to strike up a conversation, beyond a friendly yet polite greeting, but that was as far as your interaction with them ever went. 

Well, now you had time. As you observed them, you noted that they (maybe they were male? You weren’t positive about that, but you had a hunch at least) were sporting a severe lack of proper winter attire. Sure, their white sweater and blue hoodie looked decent enough to ward off the worst of the cold, but who in their right mind wears basketball shorts and pink slippers during the _winter_? They seemed to have the wherewithal to wear gloves at least but come on! Even a monster made of magic and bones could feel the chill in the air, right?

Then again, you weren’t exactly knowledgeable in monster anatomy, let alone the skeletal kind. Did they feel the cold the same way that humans did? Obviously, they didn’t have nerves—or skin—but maybe their magic compensated for that? It left you with far more questions than answers, that was for certain.

Caught in your wayward thoughts, you didn’t notice that they had turned to stare at you until your eyes caught sight of their face. With belated fascination, you noticed that the side of their jaw dribbled with a red substance you couldn’t identify. Your mind unhelpfully substituted it as blood, but you immediately dismissed it. The open thermos emitted steam, which you had to guess was some type of soup. Huh.

It was when that the skeleton began speaking that your cheeks flushed hot with more than just the chill of the early morning.

“mornin’ neighbor.”

“G-good morning,” you stammered, embarrassed that you were caught staring at them. “Um…you’re awfully early.” _Wow, could you be more awkward?_ You snarked to yourself. “I-I mean—I usually never see you this early. It's surprising.” You could not have sounded more awkward than you did just now. You wanted to groan, but you stifled it with an effort. They didn’t seem to mind your blunder, nor did they comment on your open stare. They only seemed to settle against the back of the bench like they were lounging on the world’s comfiest couch.

“eh. felt like takin’ the scenic route.” The monster gave a lazy shrug of their shoulders. “i’m surprised you’re up at this time. takin’ an early shift?”

“I’m covering a shift,” you explained. “Today was supposed to be my day off, but, well…y’know how it is.” You shrugged noncommittally and let out a quiet laugh. “At least I’ll have extra spending money.”

The two of you lapsed into an awkward silence that you didn’t quite know how to fill. So instead, you said nothing and watched as the twilight sky transformed into the coming dawn. You didn’t know how long the two of you stayed that like this while sitting in silence on the cold bus stop bench. But you found that as time passed, the lingering embarrassment between the two of you faded. You simply took solace in the quiet company your monster neighbor offered. The fact that they didn’t say anything must have been a testament to their ease in being around you.

You were quickly mistaken when you realized, as you peeked back at them, that they had fallen asleep in their seat. If you could see how dumbstruck you looked, you would have laughed at yourself—but your reaction was justified! They must be narcoleptic if they could fall asleep in this weather (never mind the fact that just a moment ago, you were contemplating on catching a few minutes of shut-eye—you couldn’t exactly talk, now could you?).

Their skull seemed to hunch near their shoulders and burrow deep within their white sweater and blue hoodie they wore, giving them the appearance of a turtle trying to recede back inside their shell. You choked back a giggle at the image before you noticed that the red substance that stained their mouth held a distinct scent, one that you recognized was tomato soup. The thermos in their hand had tipped down, emptying upon the ground in a small red puddle.

 _Well, as far as beverages go, there could be worse ones to choose from._ You mused. You would have questioned why anyone would carry soup inside a thermos, but you didn’t find it strange. After all, chicken noodle soup was common to have on hand, especially during winter. Perhaps their preference was tomato soup. Even if it _did_ have a slightly overpowering smell of vinegar-- as if ketchup was added to the soup.

You debated with yourself though: should you wake them up? You were fairly sure the bus was due to arrive soon and you didn’t want to miss it. After all you didn’t drag yourself out of your warm bed on your day off just to miss your bus. But you couldn’t leave them out while they slept in the cold—you weren’t that kind of person. Plus, you were pretty sure that they had places to be too after all. Why else would they come this early to the bus stop?

Gently, you reached out and placed your hand upon their shoulder, giving it a light shake. When nothing but a soft snore met your ears, you sighed before trying again.

“Hey,” you called out. “c’mon now, the bus will be here soon.”

You heard a grunt before their eye sockets flickered and landed on you.

“heh. sorry, neighbor, guess there’s just no _stoppin’_ me from my nap.”

“How?” You laughed a little, bewildered by the turn of phrase. You weren’t sure if that was on purpose or not. “I’m surprised you can sleep at all with how cold it is.”

The skeleton merely grinned up at you, tilting the corner of their mouth higher at the look of confusion. “easy—the cold passes right through me. no skin,” they lifted their leg, exposing their bare tibia and fibula to her eyes. “as you can see.” The humor in their lazy drawl earned a light blush to brighten your cheeks. You laughed to dispel the flutter of anxiety pattering inside your stomach and shot them a look, the corner of your mouth hiked in amusement.

“Clearly,” you said in a lofty sort of voice. “just looking at how you’re dressed makes me shudder.” To demonstrate you faced forward while shivering and began rubbing your palms together to bring some friction and warmth to your limbs.

The monster watched your feeble attempt to warm your hands without comment for several moments before they spoke again. “don’t have gloves kid?”

“Left them at home.” You replied. Your teeth were starting to chatter—did it get colder suddenly?

Wiping the side of their mouth with the sleeve of their jacket, they said nothing. You didn’t turn back to them, too busy with your attempt to keep warm to notice what they were doing. It wasn’t until their gloves were placed by your hip that you gave a star. You glanced down at your side and saw the gloves were placed atop each other in a neat, but careless fashion. You looked to your companion, who staunchly looked out across the road, their expression relaxed as they shrugged their shoulders. You noticed that their hands were deep inside the pockets of their hoodie.

You glanced back down at the gloves; they were a little big for you, but the fabric was soft when you picked them up. Hesitantly, you looked back at the monster, then at the gloves, then back to them.

“Um,” you began, but they spoke before you could question them of their intent.

“keep em’. you could use em more than me.”

“I—” You felt emotion well up, so you cleared your throat and continued huskily. “Are you sure?” You were grateful for their token of kindness, but you couldn’t keep them. “I’ll give them back to you after work.”

Their white eyelights slid to you, studying you in silence. You wondered what they were thinking, whether if they were weighing the validity of your statement and found you wanting. You felt you were being sincere, but maybe they didn’t know. How could they? You were just their neighbor after all. You hardly knew them—and they hardly knew you, beyond fleeting moments between the hallways of the same building you both shared. They certainly had no guarantee that you would honor your word, but that was fine. You had a way of surprising people. And you _wanted_ to show them that you meant what you said. They were just simple gloves, but to you, it was more than that; it was the principle of the matter that demanded you keep your word, of maintaining your integrity.

“y’sure?” They finally spoke. “its no skin off my nose for me to give them to ya—i’ve got plenty at home.”

You nodded; your face was set with a look of determination. “Really, it’s no trouble—plus I’d feel bad for keeping something that doesn’t belong to me.”

They looked at you for another beat, until you noticed the edges of their sockets crinkled. “alright.” They said, relenting. “suit yourself kid.”

You smiled. “Thank you.” With barely suppressed eagerness you quickly donned the gloves, sighing happily at the layer of protection to your freezing appendages. You ignored the chuckle beside you, uncaring as to whether you looked silly; contentment filled you as you flexed fingers, no longer hurting from the biting cold clinging to them.

“better?”

Amusement was clear in their tone, though you couldn’t find it within yourself to feel annoyed. “Yes.” You sighed. “Thank you again, neighbor.”

They snickered. “sans. sans the skeleton.” They faced you and held out their hand—their _bare_ hand, which shouldn’t have surprised you, given that they _were_ a skeleton, but just the image of a living skeleton monster holding out their hand to shake was bizarre. In another world where monsters never existed, you wondered if you would have reached out to shake their hand as you did.

You gave Sans your name. “But my friends call me Rayne.” Just as you squeezed your hand to shake theirs, you heard a loud sound that gave you a start—until you realized that the sound was coming from a small whoopie cushion strapped against the palm of their hand.

“ _ice_ to meet ya Rayne.” They managed to wheeze out amidst their chuckles. “heh, the ol’ whoopie cushion gag—always a classic.” You managed a laugh as they wiggled their phalanges at you teasingly. “couldn’t resist _breaking the ice_. i’ve got more up my _sleet_ —” Your chortles renewed as they held their arm up, indicating their hoodie sleeve. “—but i know you’re in a _flurry_ , so i won’t take up too much of your time.”

Like magic, you suddenly heard the distant rumble of the bus approaching your stop. _At last!_ Though you were relieved to see the bus slow down, you found yourself reluctant to leave the company you kept behind. This was the most interaction you’ve ever had with your neighbor and you scolded yourself for not taking the time to greet them sooner.

Reluctantly, you slowly stood up to wait for the bus to slow to a stop; meanwhile, you noted that Sans stood up and seemed to gather his thermos. They didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that the contents inside were dumped out. They just put the cap back on and shoved the container back in their pocket. When the bus finally approached the stop, the doors slid open with a hiss, the rumble of the engine filling the silent ambiance of the early morning.

“be seein’ ya Rayne.” Sans called out, watching as you approached the open doors of the bus. You looked over your shoulder in confusion, your hand grasping the railing while one foot was placed on the step.

“Aren’t you coming?” You asked frowning.

“nah, i’m good. i know a shortcut.”

“Oh. Okay…well…” you began, starting at the sound of the bus driver clearing their throat. “I’ll see you later then. Goodbye Sans.”

Without looking back, you ascended the stairs and paid your fee before you headed towards the back of the bus, muttering apologies as you brushed past the occupants that crowded the narrow space. You just barely made it to your seat when the bus began to move, the thunder of the engine shuddering to life before it lurched and picked up speed. You let out a sigh and settled against the back of your seat, closing your eyes for a brief moment before you turned and looked behind the window. Where you expected to see Sans still at the bus stop, you were surprised to find that he had vanished.

 _Maybe he caught a ride from someone else?_ You shrugged and allowed your mind to drift, relaxing into your seat for the long journey into the city. And all the while, you gazed at the gloves adorning your hands. They did the trick in keeping your hands warm, and you found that when you made it to work, you were reluctant to take them off until it was time to clock in for your shift. But you made sure to keep them in your coat pocket.

The next time you saw your neighbor again, you hoped to repay them for the kindness they had shown you.

* * *

From across the bus stop, Sans hid as he watched the bus drive down the deserted road until it disappeared from his sight. The sun had finally crested from the horizon, chasing away the dredges of dawn to bring rays of sunshine. He marveled at the sight, a phenomenon that Sans would never tire of looking at even after years of living up on the above world. The simple marvels of the surface would always be remarkable to him, no matter how small, committing it to memory as if it would be his last moment.

Meeting you was another memory he filed away, one that broke away the near monotony of his idyllic life on the surface. Though he kept an impartial air while interacting with you, you had caught his attention for months since you had moved into the building he shared with his ‘family’.

And he was certain he wasn’t the only one that noticed you; though you kept odd hours, you had a way of leaving your mark. He wasn’t sure how long before the others would notice, but he had a hunch that you would meet them in time. Sans allowed himself the moment to worry over the possible scenarios that spelled disaster at you meeting the various versions of himself and his brother before he banished the thought with a lackadaisical mental shrug.

If there was one thing that Sans had come to know about humans, it was that they took whatever explanation was given to them that fit their view. As long as they didn't look _too_ hard at what was in front of them, they didn't bother questioning the incongruities. He was confident that explaining the similarities between his and his brothers’ doppelgangers were because they were ‘cousins’ was as close to the truth as most were willing to accept.

Explaining that they were different versions of him and Papyrus from different universes usually led to the worst-case scenario: denial, disbelief, and the inevitable betrayal of his secret to the human government in a bid for either money, power, or both. In Sans’ experience, humans were so terribly predictable that it was just sad.

(Of course, there were a few rare exceptions, but they were a dime a dozen.)

He thought about you and wondered if you were like the rest of humanity. What sort of human were you? He had seen plenty of humans that lived in the same apartment complex, and a few even lived in the same building. But none of them stood out to him. Maybe it was because you lived right next door to him, or how you went out of your way to greet him whenever he came home. He didn't know-- and that made him curious.

He couldn't guess whether you were attractive or average from human standards (not that he paid attention to that sort of thing), though he supposed you were pretty. But from a monster's perspective, what mattered most to him was your soul. A quick 'Check' gave him a soul-view of your character, but that didn't satisfy him. In his curiosity, he observed you while you sat shivering on the bench, seeing how your skin flushed red from the cold, how miserable and tired you looked underneath the shelter. Then and there, he didn’t give a second thought when he gave you his gloves—he had multiple pairs in his room anyway, what was the harm in giving the ones he wore?

Except he couldn’t stop thinking about how your hands looked in his gloves. So small and dainty, he could imagine his phalanges enveloping them, intertwining through your fingers with ease. He wondered if your skin felt as warm and soft as it looked. For a moment, he had wanted to reach out and take your hand and indulge in that curiosity, before his good sense snapped him out of the spell you drew him in.

He still remembered how you smiled as you thanked him for the gloves. He wondered how you would repay him--

He shook the line of thought away before his imagination built up, the shape of his perma-grin shifting into a tell-tale frown. No good would come if he allowed himself to think _those_ thoughts towards the human, especially when he remembered his original goal: to assess if the human— _Rayne_ , he thought quietly to himself—was a threat. From the brief interaction he had, she had checked out well from her initial stats. However, Sans knew that humans rarely proved that they were beings capable of integrity; you held a soul that shined in a kaleidoscope of colors that alarmed him.

It was this aspect that would surely bring danger to your doorstep—and as your neighbor, he would inevitably get caught in the crossfire. Sans was grateful that none of the other iterations of himself and his brothers have met you; though he had reminded them _firmly_ of the consequences for drawing unwanted attention unto their little ‘family’, Sans was protective of them. Maybe it was an act of self-preservation, or maybe he preferred to keep things as simple as possible (before he had found the machine and thus made his life was anything _but_ simple). Whatever the case, he had a responsibility to them to keep everyone safe.

Even if it meant you had to be removed from the equation.

Sobered by that thought bringing a grim air to his demeanor. With a sigh, he cast his eyes one last time to the horizon and the sun that cast cheerful rays upon the world before taking a shortcut through the void and blipping from existence.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, let me know what you think!  
> Come check me out on [tumblr](https://maidenstage.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/maidenstage)! :3


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